Chapter 221
They say there are things you can only see after you realize the truth.
Perhaps this is exactly one of those moments.
-You...! You were that person last time...! The one who helped me...!
Memories of orientation day ripple like the surface of water. Yena's face, smiling bashfully and extending her hand awkwardly, remains vivid in my mind.
But to think that all of it was a fabrication, a mirage built on lies and deceit. I wasn't the only one wearing a mask.
Only now, perhaps, I can call them human...
"Hehe, if you stare like that, it makes me shy..."
Yena continued, looking at me standing there dazed. She lowered her head slightly, as if embarrassed, and covered her mouth.
"..."
What stands before me is undoubtedly an enemy.
Yet, separate from the overwhelming betrayal and emptiness, I distinctly felt an odd sense of longing and familiarity as well.
I revived my memories and realized it just now. I distinctly remember feeling a similar sensation before.
Once, with the nun of the First City.
And the first time was when I clasped that outstretched hand on orientation day.
Unable to identify the nature of that sensation, I had pushed it to the corner of my mind and forgotten about it.
But now, I could vaguely understand the cause.
Although the path remains unclear, one thing was certain: my powers originated from them.
"Still, it's true that I enjoyed it. You see, you're...my first and only precious friend."
Yena was still wearing her signature bright smile.
"That's why I brought you here. To give my precious friend the most special final moment."
"Special final moment? What do you mean?"
"It means I'll personally kill you with my own hands."
Words so chillingly brutal that they didn't match the clear laughter. Yet it was accompanied by a blush spreading across her cheeks. Yena cupped her cheeks with both hands, like a lovesick teenage girl.
"Isn't that much better? Better than fading away like dust, with no meaning at all."
"...So that's what you meant? You'll personally kill me?"
"Well, it's partly that and also because I wanted to enjoy some final moments together..."
She spoke incomprehensibly, letting out a sigh before adding something she seemed to have forgotten.
"Oh, but don't worry. The core won't explode for another 15 minutes. That's plenty of time for a date, isn't it?"
Then she smirked—a mocking, mischievous smile. It didn't suit her face, making it seem all the more unnatural.
"Well, unless Hyun makes me upset, then maybe I'll set it off earlier...?"
Faces of people passed through my mind involuntarily. The lives of those I cared about were now in my hands. Yeon Minha, Jin Yeseo, and...
"..."
Remembering someone, I cursed myself.
After all this, was it possible I still hadn't let go? Even if I deserve to be called stupid for it.
Shaking my head, I steadied my mind. There were only two things I needed to focus on right now.
Stall for as much time as possible, so people could evacuate, and figure out a way to stop the core's explosion.
Fortunately, Yena's attitude was incredibly relaxed. Her demeanor was thick with the confidence of someone in control of the situation.
She seemed to enjoy chatting more than taking any immediate action against me.
In that case...the only option was to prolong the conversation.
"Was it you who did that to Professor Shin Jae-yu?"
"Yes."
Hearing my question, Yena nodded simply.
"I didn't have much choice. Professor discovered the core in the basement had become active. Ugh...always so unnecessarily perceptive..."
She sighed deeply, as if genuinely troubled, and then quickly changed her expression to one of mockery again.
"So I gave her a little punishment. To atone for daring to obstruct the sacred grand task. Well, it ended up being boring thanks to someone's meddling, though..."
Yena spoke as she glanced slyly at me.
"Maybe that kind of ending was better for her, don't you think? Getting it over with is better. Delaying death only prolongs the pain..."
"Wouldn't an explosion of that scale take you down with it? Are you really fine being so relaxed right now?"
In the end, they're beings with clear physical limits. The form I saw—a creature full of tentacles—was nothing more than an alien monstrosity.
Despite being near-living disasters wielding out-of-standard power, they weren't some omnipotent godlike beings.
They were creatures that had writhed and died after just a few cuts.
Surviving such a massive explosion was surely impossible for them.
"That's a secret!"
But she placed a finger on her lips, making a "Shh!" gesture in response to my question.
"You really shouldn't pry into a lady's secrets so recklessly."
"..."
Yena clearly had no intention of sharing.
She didn't seem resigned to die, though. Did she have some kind of means or plan?
"Then..."
"Hehe, how cute. You're stalling for time, aren't you? Trying to help people evacuate and find a clue to stop the explosion."
"..."
Yena shook her head. She caught on too quickly, leaving me momentarily at a loss for words.
Covering her mouth, she laughed cheerfully as if genuinely amused.
Then she said something completely unexpected.
"Hmm...if you want it so much, I guess there's no harm in telling you..."
"What...?"
"Should I tell you? How to suppress the core's runaway reaction."
For a moment, I suspected she was mocking me again. But she hummed a tune, as if it were no big deal, and opened her mouth.
"Because it's us. Since you came all the way here to see me, Hyun, I guess I could let you know that much."
"..."
"Hehe, the answer's simple. Inside the core, there are about 543 million Ruben's worth of particles spinning incredibly fast. They're colliding with each other, causing an enormous overload."
Yena raised her finger, speaking as if giving a lecture.
"When I dipped my hand in and stirred it a bit, that's what happened. Particles at the verge of hardening into minerals are extremely unstable. Spending time in that state leads to...boom! Fireworks!"
She stretched out both arms, and a small flash of lightning sparkled above her head for a moment.
"And to stop it...you just have to inject the same amount of particles into Stellite Ore to neutralize the collision! Easy, right?"
She murmured, pretending to think seriously.
"Let's see...the average Ruben value of a Cradle student is 4,000...so gathering about 140,000 students within 15 minutes should do the trick...?"
"..."
A mocking smile lingered on her face as she finished her explanation.
Even putting aside the 15-minute limit, the combined number of graduates from Cradle over 100 years wouldn't even reach 140,000.
Even if we could gather them, reaching the 543 million figure Yena mentioned would be absolutely impossible.
That's why she spoke so freely.
To thoroughly savor and mock my deeper descent into despair.
However, instead of despair, her words, laden with such an obvious intent, filled me with overwhelming hope.
Because right here, in this place, there is only one person capable of accomplishing that task.
That person is me.
***
"You get what I mean, right? So just give up and come sit beside me. Let's watch the sunset together. Wow... it's really beautiful..."
Yena gestured casually, as if unaware that her mockery had ironically opened a path forward.
For a moment, it felt almost absurd. I had found the solution far more easily than expected.
Judging by her attitude toward me, it's certain that Yena doesn't know about my authority.
If she had that information, she wouldn't act so calm. She would have ambushed and killed me long ago.
I had no idea that Yena was a witch. Compared to this farce, such an approach would've been dozens of times more effective.
And now that I'd also found the method, the next course of action became abundantly clear.
Instead of approaching her, I reached for the blade I had received from Professor Shin Jae-yu. Seeing this, Yena spoke in a disappointed tone.
"...Are you planning to cut me down with that? We're friends... that's just too much..."
She had just confidently declared her intention to kill me, and now she says something like this?
In any case, ambushing her is impossible. The previous confrontation made that crystal clear.
No matter how endlessly I can use magic like they can, I have a fatal limitation: the limits of my body.
Reaction speed, magic sensitivity, physical regeneration—there's nothing about a human body that can compare to theirs.
"Are you really okay with this...? Hyun, I know your skills, but... beating me won't be easy."
Both I and the thing in front of me are well aware of that fact.
And yet, that's precisely why there's hope.
"Hmm... I was planning to leave at least the memory of our final date..."
"I don't need it. Memories like that mean nothing to me."
Feigning desperation, I charged recklessly. I closed the distance as much as possible and finally unleashed and spread my authority. Within that range, even they are nothing more than lumps of flesh.
Thus, I drove the blade into her head and stabbed at the core within. Then, without hesitation, I headed straight for the core's location and neutralized it by absorbing the particles in the air with the witch's power.
It was an improvised plan, but it seemed fairly decent.
"...Hmph. Hyun, you're such a fool. Do whatever you want."
She didn't interfere; instead, she watched my actions with interest, as if I were some fascinating spectacle. Her relaxed demeanor was like that of a champion who had already won.
I immediately began inscribing the predictive magic formula. Considering who my opponent is, I can't afford to hold back.
I have to give my all from the start to even stand a chance of closing the gap.
"..."
For some reason, a sense of wistfulness still lingered when I looked at her... but what's set in stone won't change.
Thinking so, I finally engraved all the magic formulas onto my body.
A unique sensation, as if time had opened up and the world had slowed down, enveloped me. Even the screams and chaos beyond the building felt vivid, as if they were happening right beside me.
And with that, I took a step forward, just as I was about to charge.
"Urgh...!"
In an instant, a horrifying pain, as if my entire internal organs were being torn apart, overwhelmed me.
"Cough...! Cough...!"
My expanded vision narrowed again, and my body felt as heavy as if it were carrying a boulder.
Drip. Drip. What trickled down my face wasn't tears but streams of dark red blood.
"What...is this...?"
My hands trembled uncontrollably. Blood was pouring out of every orifice in my body. Choking, I coughed up clots of blood.
- Collapse Syndrome. As the name suggests, it's a phenomenon where the body itself disintegrates.
Suddenly, the nonchalant explanation from the old doctor I had spoken to days ago flashed through my mind.
- ...the most horrifying and miserable death, one that ultimately erases your very existence.